E Roz

Thanks to your previous suggestions we have scaled back our first trip & honeymoon to N. Italy. We now think we will arrive in Milan Tues morning late June and will have 12 full days to explore. Shld we avoid cities and hit the tuscany region for the one full weekend we have? Do wkdays vs. weekend vary greatly with crowds during high season? Thinking arr Milan, immed train to lake como/Varenna 2 nights, Venice, 2-3 nights, Tuscany region (day trips to Florence, Siena, San Ginancomo etc) for 4 nights, Cinque Terra 2 nights, back to Milan. Shld we hit Cinque terra first? thanks for your thoughts and suggestions!

xcx

It depends: do you live in the northern or southern hemisphere?

loveitalia

Since you are arriving in Milano, it would make sense to go northward to Lake Como first, then go down the Riviera coast to Cinque Terra, then inland to Florence, Siena, San Gimangano, etc. then up to Venice, over to Milano and you're done. So it would be a counter-clockwise trip in my opinion.

Jean

A suggestion: If you arrive Malpensa and plan to go immediately to Lake Como, there is bus service from Malpensa to Como. In order to take the train to Como or Varenna, you must first go to the train station in downtown Milan (45-60 minutes away). By the time you get to the train station and board your train, you would have already arrived at Como by bus from Malpensa. Also, the train from Milan to Varenna is a bit of a &quot;cattle car.&quot; Depending on the time of day, day of week and whether you board the train early enough, you might have to stand for the hour ride.<BR><BR>Regarding your other tentative plans, I would stay in Florence and do day trips to Siena and elsewhere, as opposed to the other way around. More transportation options. I'd also skip the Cinque Terra on this 12-day trip and add another day or so to Venice. By limiting your hotel stays to larger cities, you'll spend less time moving around, making connections. As a general rule, I allow a half day for travelling between not-too-distant points. In other words, if you have several points in your itinerary, you'll lose a few days to transit.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

With a car I would do counter and start at the CT and save the lakes for last.<BR>By train, your plan sounds good. Be sure to get the train schedule to Varenna--the schedule may say &quot; Sondrio&quot; but stop in Varenna.